Registration
is closed. Our group of 23 travelers will meet in
Valetta, Maltaon March 19, 2017 for the beginning of this unique
one-time offering!

TOUR
DESCRIPTION

The tiny archipelago nation of
Malta, located just south of Italy, is home to some of the
mostancient and mysterious megalithic structures on
Earth. These are not just crude stone circles or free-standing pillars,
but finely constructed stone temples and other structures,
some of which are composed of numerous levels or stories. And the
oldest ones date back to over seven thousand years ago.

Join Dr. Robert
Schoch and his wife Katie Ulissey for an in-depth
exploration and reanalysis of the most ancient structures
on Malta, while also enjoying and absorbing modern Maltese
hospitality. Dr. Schoch is one of the foremost
authorities regarding the origins and extreme antiquity of
civilizations around the world. He has forced his fellow
academics to rethink not only the when and why
of the beginnings of high culture and civilization,but
also the earliest dating of many ancient sites –
marshalling evidence demonstrating that in some cases
extremely ancient structures were reused in later, but
still very ancient, times. On this trip Dr. Schoch will share
with you firsthand his thoughts and insights on the megalithic structures of
Malta.

Ancient Temples of Malta

General InformationThe small island nation of Malta is located in the Mediterranean, 60 miles
south of Sicily, the "boot" of Italy.It’s the
largest of the three major
islands that constitute the Maltese archipelago, and is 95 square miles.
It's located east of its sister islands of Gozo and Comino.

In
March
average temperatures are around 63 °F during the day and 52 °F at night.
Large fluctuations in temperature are rare.Also, Malta is among the few
places in Europe that are "green" all year round.

Native Maltese
people make up the majority of the island.However, there are minorities,
the largest of which is British (many of whom have retired to Malta).
Thus, English is spoken almost everywhere.

TOUR
PERSONNEL

FEATURED SPEAKER:
Dr. Robert M. Schoch Author of Forgotten
Civilization: The Role of Solar Outbursts in Our Past and Future

Dr. Robert M. Schoch,
a full-time faculty member at Boston University since 1984, earned his Ph.D.
(1983) in Geology and Geophysics at Yale University. In the early 1990s, Dr.
Schoch’s geological analyses of the Great Sphinx demonstrated that the
statue is thousands of years older than the conventional dating of 2500 BCE,
bringing him international fame and recognition. His assertions that there
was an earlier cycle of civilization before civilization is supposed to have
existed, though attacked by many members of the Egyptological and
archaeological establishments, have stood the test of time. Stunning
confirmation of Dr. Schoch’s views has come with the discovery of the highly
sophisticated 12,000-year-old site of Göbekli Tepe in southeastern Turkey.
In recent years, further data and re-analysis of his previous work has led
Dr. Schoch to conclude that the origins of the Sphinx go back millennia
further than he first proposed. Dr. Schoch is the author of numerous books
and articles, both academic and popular, including
Forgotten Civilization: The Role of Solar Outbursts in Our Past and Future (Inner Traditions, 2012).
He has reached audiences around the world via television, radio, live
presentations, and the Internet (the Emmy-winning documentary
The Mystery of the Sphinx, which first aired on NBC, remains a favorite among audiences).
In recognition of his scientific contributions to the study of ancient
civilizations, in 2014 Dr. Schoch was awarded the title of Honorary Professor of the
Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy in Varna, Bulgaria.

Speaker: Catherine (Katie) Ulissey

For the past decade Dr. Schoch’s wife, Catherine (Katie) Ulissey,
has been an integral part of the research, providing many insights and contributions, including the discovery that the
Easter Island rongorongo script records and reflects major solar outbursts that ended the last ice age
nearly 12,000 years ago and brought an earlier cycle of civilization to a close.

Katie and Robert are also among the co-founders of the non-profit Organization for the Research of Ancient Cultures
ORACULDr. Schoch’s website is: www.robertschoch.comORACUL’s website is: www.oraculonline.org

A Special Invitation to You from Dr. Robert Schoch:My wife, Katie, and I extend a personal invitation to you to
join us in a firsthand exploration of the ancient megalithic
structures of Malta. I have spent the last quarter century
studying the earliest known evidence of civilization found
around the world, and the Malta constructions are incomparable!
How far back do they go? How were they built? What purpose did
they serve? The traditional archaeologists have their answers,
but as we shall see, there is much more to the story. Together
we will open new vistas in pursuit of the truth underlying the
ancient Malta enigmas.

TOUR DIRECTOR: Andrea Mikana-PinkhamDirector of Sacred Sites Journeys

Andrea has been operating and leading Sacred Sites Journeys' groups
around the world since 1994. She led groups to Malta in April 2013 and March
2015.

Your Invitation from Andrea:I
invite you to join Dr. Robert Schoch, his wife Katie Ulissey, myself and our
diverse group of like-minded people for this unique travel opportunity in
Malta. We've designed an exceptional itinerary in order to give you the
optimum experience at the ancient megalithic sites and other places that
we’ll visit.

MAIN TOUR ITINERARY(B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner)

Day 1.
Sunday, March 19. Arrive Malta. Group Meeting & Welcome Dinner (D)
Arrive in Malta (Airport Code MLA) today on your own. Please book your
flight to arrive early enough in the day such that you’ll have a chance to
rest before our evening activities. - After clearing Immigration and
Customs, look for our local tour representative in the Arrivals Hall holding
a sign with your name on it. He will assist you to transfer to the hotel in
a private taxi booked by Sacred Sites Journeys.

Arrive at the hotel.
Check in and rest a bit before our evening meeting and dinner.

6:00PM – Introductory Meeting at the
hotel, including a short presentation by Dr. Schoch. 7:00PM – Welcome Dinner at the hotel.Overnight Valetta. The Osborne Hotel.
http://www.osbornehotel.com/The
Osborne Hotel, one of the best hotels in Valetta, is housed in one of the
magnificent palaces built by the knights of the Order of St John. The hotel
is situated in the heart of the capital city of Valletta. Just a stone’s'
throw away from the island's major museums, art treasures, and the unique
16th century architecture of the city, the hotel is located close to shops,
entertainment, cafes, and restaurants.

All 63 hotel rooms are
pleasantly furnished with an en-suite bathroom, air-conditioning, central
heating, and a flat-screen satellite television. Tea / coffee making
facilities, replenished daily, are available in each room. Furthermore a
hairdryer, toiletries, direct dial telephone, wake-up call service, and
Wi-Fi access is also available throughout the hotel, free of charge.The
Osborne Hotel offers a range of facilities and services to ensure that you
have a pleasant stay. The hotel is fully air-conditioned and has a 24 hour
reception with a knowledgeable and friendly front-desk staff. The hotel
features a cozy bar and lounge. A rich buffet breakfast of local and
international cuisine is available, as well as diverse lunch and dinner
options. Vegetarian and
Celiac meals are available on request. The terrace boasts amazing views of
Valletta and Marsamxetto Harbour. The Battenberg Suite is located on the 6th
floor, where we’ll have our group meetings and presentations with Dr.
Schoch.

Day 2. Monday, March 20.
Spring Equinox Sunrise at Mnajdra & Hagar Qim; Mgarr: Skorba and Ta Hagrat Temples;
Mdina (B/L/D)We depart
early for our dawn visit to Mnajdra and Hagar Qim for the
Spring Equinox
sunrise. (Coffee/tea and a small snack will be available in the hotel lobby
and at the visitor center at Mnajdra/Hagar Qim.) As the ancient people who
built this magnificent stone temple did, we'll watch the Sun come up over
the mountains to the East and see the light it casts into the temple's
entrance and inner sanctum. In many ancient cultures the spring equinox
marks a time of renewal and rebirth, the beginning of a new year and
cycle.
From an Earth perspective, on the spring equinox the cosmos and Earth are
“balanced” as the daylight and nightime hours are temporally equal. The
creative energies of the Sun, growing ever stronger and uniting with the
potential of the Earth, lead to a flowering of nature. In ancient times
fertility rites carried out on the sprinx equinox helped assure the
fecundity of humanity and of all of nature for the coming year. A key
element on Malta in such equinox rituals was the passing of the rays of the
Sun through the front entrance of the temple to the inner sanctum, marking
the uniting of the Heavens and Earth. We will witness and experience
together this moving event. We'll have time for individual reflection on
what this ancient rite of a New Beginning means in our lives. (We’ll return
to these sites for a full visit later in the week.)

Photos - L to R: The Sun's rays penetrating into
the inner sanctum at Mnajdra; model of Mnajdra showing this phenomenon

Return to the hotel for breakfast

9:30AM –
Be in the hotel lobby ready to depart

9:45AM –
Depart the hotel. Today we begin our exploration and experiences of the
sacred temples of Malta! After breakfast we depart by coach to the Village
of Mgarr (im-jarr), a typical rural village situated in an isolated region,
to visit the temples of Ta Hagrat and Skorba.

Our first stop is at the
Skorba temples, megalithic remains on the northern edge of
Zebbieg, which
have provided detailed and informative insight into the earliest periods of
Malta's Neolithic culture. The site was only excavated in the early 1960s,
rather late in comparison to other megalithic sites, some of which had been
studied since the early 19th century. The site's importance has led to its
listing as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a listing it shares with half a
dozen other megalithic temples in Malta.

The remains on the site
are a series of megalithic uprights (one of them is 3.4 meters tall), the
lowest course of the temples' foundations, paving slabs with libation holes
in the entrance passage, and the torba or cement-like floor of a
three-apse
temple, a shape that is typical of the Ġgantija phase. Unfortunately, the
greater part of the first two apses and the whole of the façade have been
razed to ground level. But the north wall is in a better state of
preservation. Originally, the entrance of the temple opened on a court, but
in later additions during the Tarxien phase, the temple's doorway was closed
off, with altars set in the corners formed by the closure. East of this
temple, a second monument was added in the Tarxien phase, with four apses
and a central niche. For a period of roughly twelve centuries before the
temples were built, a village already stood on the site. Its oldest extant
structure is the long straight wall to the west of the temples’ first
entrance. Deposits at its base contained material from the early human
occupation of the island, the Għar Dalam phase, dating back 7,000 years ago.
(The dates given here and throughout this itinerary are those currently
accepted by the “conventional” archaeologists. As Dr. Schoch will discuss,
and you will have a chance to explore with him, he suspects that in some
cases the original structures may actually be thousands of years older and
were subsequently re-appropriated and reused during the various historical
phases cited by mainstream historians.)

Next we visit the
Ta
Hagrat temples in Mgarr, of which the larger temple is attributed to the
Ġgantija phase (3600–3200 BCE); the smaller is attributed to the Saflieni
phase (3300–3000 BCE).

Major Temple: The Ġgantija
phase temple is typically trefoil, with a concave façade opening onto a
spacious semicircular forecourt. The façade contains a monumental doorway in
the center and a bench at its base. Two steps lead up to the main entrance
and a corridor flanked by upright megaliths of coralline limestone. Three
are placed on each side and support large hard-stone slabs. The corridor
beyond the entrance is paved with large stone blocks placed with great
accuracy.

The corridor leads into a central torba court,
radiating three semi-circular chambers. These were partially walled off at
some time in the Saflieni phase; pottery shards were recovered from the
internal packing of this wall. The apses are constructed with roughly-hewn
stone walls and have a rock floor. Corbelling visible on the walls of the
apses suggest that the temple was roofed.

Minor Temple: The Saflieni
phase temple situated to the north is 6.5 meters long, and is entered
through the eastern apse of the larger temple. Smaller stones have been used
in its construction and it exhibits irregularities in design considered
archaic or provincial.

We then enjoy our group
lunch at one of the local tavernas in Mgarr Square, taking time to share
with each other our experiences from this morning.

After lunch we’re off to visit the village of Mdina, the old capital of
Malta. Mdina is a medieval walled town situated on a hill in the center of
the island. Punic remains uncovered beyond the city’s walls suggest the
importance of the general region to Malta’s Phoenician settlers. Natives and
visitors commonly call Mdina the “Silent City”. The town is still confined
within its walls, and has a population of just over three hundred, but it is
contiguous with the village of Rabat, which takes its name from the Arabic
word for suburb, and has a population of over 11,000. Mdina is fascinating
to visit for its timeless atmosphere as well as its cultural and religious
treasures.

The history of Mdina goes back more than
4000
years. According to tradition it was here in 60 CE that the Apostle St. Paul
lived after being shipwrecked on the islands. He supposedly resided inside
the grotto known as Fuori le Mura (outside the city walls) now known as St.
Paul’s Grotto in Rabat, which we will visit. We will also tour the late
17th-century St. Paul's Cathedral in Mdina, which stands on the traditional
site of the house of the governor Publius, who received St. Paul when he was
shipwrecked on Malta.

Mdina has had different
names and titles depending on its rulers and its role, but its medieval name
describes it best – ‘Citta’ Notabile’: the noble city. It was home then, as
now, to Malta’s noble families; some are descendants of the Norman,
Sicilian, and Spanish overlords who made Mdina their home from the 12th
century onwards. Impressive palaces line its narrow, shady streets. Mdina is
one of Europe’s finest examples of an ancient walled city and is
extraordinary in its mix of medieval and Baroque architecture. During our
tour we will stop at the bastions of Mdina to admire the extensive views of
Malta from one of the highest points on the island.

We return to the hotel
later in the afternoon.

5:30PM –
Group Meeting & Presentation by Dr. Schoch about the general background and
context for Malta and how his other work on ancient civlizations fits in, as
well as to discuss some theories about the “cart ruts” which we will visit
tomorrow.

7:30PM – Group dinner at the
hotel.
Overnight Valetta. The Osborne Hotel.

Day 3. Tuesday, March 21. Cart Ruts, National
Museum of Archaeology, Free Time (B/L/D)8:00AM - Breakfast at your
leisure
9:00AM – Be in the lobby ready to depart9:15AM – We're off to explore the
mysterious ancient “cart ruts” that have been the subject
of debate for hundreds of years as to their origin, form, and function - a
most perplexing mystery! Here on the islands of Malta and Gozo they are the
most famous and numerous. Deepruts, tracks,
and grooves left in the limestone in such numbers, variety, and confusion
leave more questions than answers. On Malta there are cart ruts going off
high cliff tops, while some are located on the sea floor. At both
Clapham Junction and San Gwann Junction there are
many that intersect each other in apparent total chaos. The Clapham Junction
site was nicknamed after the complex railway tracks of a London station. How
were they formed? If they're made by humans, who were they and why did they
make them? Dr. Schoch (whose Ph.D. is in geology and
geophysics) will explore with us this longtime mystery,
explaining the broad variety of explanations for the ruts
and grooves that have been proposed in the past (from the mundane of
dismissing them as totally natural features to some highly speculative
hypotheses involving advanced peoples in the very distant past) and
discussing his own analysis of this perplexing enigma. And
of course, we want to hear what you think of the “cart ruts”.
Will you be able to solve the puzzle? As Dr. Schoch likes to point out,
fresh eyes can bring new insights!

Afterwards we enjoy a lunch of traditional Maltese
cuisine with the group at a local restaurant.

Then we’re off to the
National Museum of Archaeology, a Maltese museum of
prehistoric artifacts that is managed by Heritage Malta. The ground floor of
the museum exhibits prehistoric artifacts from the Maltese islands, from the
Għar Dalam phase (conventionally dated back to 5200 BCE), the earliest
appearance of settlement on the island, up to the Tarxien phase
(conventionally considered to end around 2500 BCE).

Early Neolithic
Period Room (5200–3800 BCE)The Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum: This
room exhibits artifacts from the early Neolithic Period, including decorated
pottery from the Għar Dalam, Grey Skorba, Red Skorba and Żebbuġ phases. Of
particular importance are the Red Skorba figurines, the earliest local
representations of the human figure and the predecessors of the statues of
later temple periods. The exhibition features a reconstruction of the
rock-cut tombs that were a characteristic of the early Neolithic period in
Malta.

Temple Period Rooms (3800–2500 BCE)
These
rooms show examples of architecture, human representation, and other items
that date from the Mġarr, Ġgantija, Saflieni, and Tarxien phases of Maltese
prehistory.

The
museum exhibits numerous corpulent statues representing
human bodies unearthed from temple excavations, along with phallic
representations. Are these statues of the Mother Goddess, Fat
Ladies, Deities, or Priests? The discovery of temple altars and corpulent
human representations suggests that some type of cult existed on the islands
of Malta and Gozo in prehistory. Given the corpulence of the statues it may
be that the cult was tied to a fertility rite. Fertility at
this time must have been very important since, apart from family growth, it
also meant the reproduction of crops and animals. We’ll explore these
theories during our time here in this sacred land.

We return to the hotel in
the later afternoon.

7:00PM – Group dinner at the
hotel or a nearby local restaurant. (To be determined).
Overnight Valetta. The Osborne Hotel.

Day 4.
Wednesday, March 22. Free Time; Walking Tour of Valetta; Private Entrance at Tarxien Temples
(B/L/D)Sleep in a bit and have breakfast at your leisure.
You have free time this morning.

11:45AM – Be in the hotel lobby ready to depart for our group lunch
at a nearby local restaurant.

Afterwards we'll enjoy a walking
tour of Valetta, including the Grand Masters Palace
and other important historical locations. We'll also enjoy a short
audio visual show about the history of Malta.

Afterwards we continue for our private entrance after-hours
at the Tarxien (tar-she-en)
Temples, which are conventionally attributed to the period
3600-2500 BCE; this is
the most complex of all temple sites in Malta, consisting of four megalithic
structures. The temples are renowned for the detail of their carvings, which
include domestic animals depicted in relief, altars, and screens decorated
with spiral designs and other patterns. Of particular note is a chamber set
into the thickness of the wall between the South and Central temples, which
is famous for its relief of two bulls and a sow. The site seems to have been
used extensively for rituals, which probably involved animal sacrifice.

In
the Bronze Age (2400-1500 BCE), Tarxien was reused as a cremation
cemetery. The site lay hidden for centuries until its discovery in
1914, when farmers struck large stone blocks while ploughing a field. Sir
Temistocles Zammit, Malta’s first director of museums, excavated the site in
1915-17.

The Tarxien temple complex consists of four temples
connected by a square court. The temples each have separate entrances.
Uniquely, the central temple consists of six apses. This is the only known
example of such a layout and it represents a final phase in the long
evolution of Maltese temple architecture. A narrow staircase connects the
central temple to the east temple.Spherical stones found at the site have provided a valuable clue
as to how the great stones of Malta's megalithic temples may have been moved
into place; some researchers believe they were rolled on the stones while
being towed with ropes. We’ll discuss this and other theories about the
ancient megalithic building techniques.

Photos of Tarxien Temples

We
continue to our
group dinner at the Ta’ Marija Maltese restaurant located
in the village of Mosta, which has been awarded Best Maltese Food
Restaurant 10 times, including 2016 by the Definitive(ly) Good Guide to
Restaurants, for a lively and enjoyable evening.
http://www.tamarija.com/

9:15AM –
Depart the hotel to the temple of Hagar Qim (ha-jah-een).
Located on a hilltop overlooking the sea and the islet of Filfla, it’s the
best preserved of several ancient limestone temples in Malta. It dates from
the Ggantija phase - which is about 3600 to 3200 BCE according to
conventional dating. Unlike most other Maltese temples, it is a single
temple rather than a complex of two or three. Other temple ruins stand a few
meters away from the main temple and the forecourt and façade follow the
pattern typical of temples across the islands. Particularly noteworthy are
the larger standing stones at the corners, which are notched to take the
second of the horizontal courses above.

A stone decorated with
spiral designs and a free-standing altar decorated on all
sides were found here. The right apse has an interesting inner enclosure
made of low stone slabs. The left apse has three high table altars and a
low-standing pillar at the end. Three steps up from the left apse lead to an
additional chamber. In the outer enclosing wall, the first upright stone
behind the right-hand corner of the façade is one of the largest of any
temple, at about 6.5 meters long and close to 20 tons in weight.

Photos of Hagar Qim

Then we’re off to Mnajdra
(mna-ee-dra), a complex site consisting of three conjoined Neolithic
temples overlooking an oval forecourt. The first and oldest temple
dates back to 3600-3200 BCE according to the standard chronologies (which
Dr. Schoch will discuss and critique), while the most impressive of the
temples is the third, attributed to 3150-2500 BC. This temple is one of the
finest surviving on the islands. The masonry here shows intricate knowledge
of building techniques and excellent workmanship. And though Mnajdra is less
than a kilometer and a half downhill from the Hagar Qim temple complex, the
two complexes seem to have been built at different times, and their
relationship is not known.

The
first and oldest temple (northern/eastern) is a simple three-apsed
structure dating from c. 3600-3200 BCE. The small walls
have been reconstructed but the small uprights, with their pitted
decoration, are original.

The middle temple
is the largest and was the last to be built, closer to
2000 BCE. It was inserted between the other two and
set at a higher level, and is unusual in having a great 2.8 meter high
porthole slab (now broken) as its main entrance, with a second doorway
beside it. To the left of the passage leading to the inner apses is an
engraving of a temple façade.The most impressive of the Mnajdra temples is the
lower (southern/western) temple, with a largely intact
façade and bench attributed to the period of circa 3150 and 2500 BCE. Its
corbelled walls indicate the temple was roofed. The stone slabs are
decorated with intriguing spiral carvings and dotted patterns. The porthole
niche to the left is especially impressive, framed in a trilithon and two
strangely tapered megaliths on either side.In the right-hand apse of the lower temple is a
porthole doorway at the top of a flight of steps giving
access to an intramural chamber. An oracle hole opens from that chamber and
another oracle hole in a recess communicates with the back and outside of
the temple. Within the first side chamber is an altar on a double-hourglass
shaped pillar.

The lower temple
is astronomically aligned. On the equinoxes the rays of the
Sun pass directly through the temple’s main doorway and light up the main
axis. At the summer solstice, the Sun lights up the edge of a megalith to
the left of the doorway, connecting the first pair of chambers to the inner
chambers. At the winter solstice, the same effect can be seen on the
corresponding megalith on the right hand side.

Photos of Mnajdra Temples

Afterwards we’ll enjoy lunch with
the group at the Hagar Qim Restaurant. Sharing time again!

We then head to the south
of the island to the area known as Wied iz-Zurrieq or more
commonly known as the Blue Grotto. Weather permitting,
we’ll take a short boat trip to the Grotto. This natural picturesque grotto
and its neighboring system of caverns mirrors the brilliant phosphorescent
colors of the underwater flora. From Wied iz-Zurrieq lookout point we will
also see the small island of Filfla, which is uninhabited
except for a unique species of lizards.

We return to the hotel in
the later afternoon.

5:30PM – Group Meeting
and Presentation by Dr. Schoch comparing the megalithic
structures we have been exploring on Malta to various other ancient
megalithic monuments around the world, including structures found in Turkey,
Peru, Egypt, the UK, and on Easter Island. What was the purpose and
significance of such structures? Why were they built on such a colossal
scale? This will be a time when we can all ask questions and engage in a
lively discussion as to the meaning of ancient megalithic architecture.
7:30PM
– Group dinner at the hotel.
Overnight Valetta. The Osborne Hotel.

Day 6. Friday, March 24.
Full Day on Gozo Island: Ggantija, Azure Window, The Citadel, including the
Cathedral of the Assumption (B/L/D) Breakfast at
your leisure.

8:00AM – Be in the hotel lobby ready
to depart

8:15AM – Depart the hotel. We’re off for a
full day on Gozo to visit the ancient temples found there.
Gozo is the second largest island of the Republic of Malta, and
traditionally it was here that the nymph Calypso of Homer’s Odyssey was said
to have lived. Our first stop is at the
Ggantija
(gii-gan-tii-ya) Prehistoric Temples in Xaghra (sha-ra). The
Ggantija temples are the earliest of a series of megalithic temples here,
attributed to the Neolithic Age (c. 3600-2500 BCE), which makes these
temples more than 5500 years old and some of the world's oldest
humanmade religious structures. Together with other similar structures, these have been
designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

According
to local Gozitan folklore, giants built these temples and
used them as places of worship. Evidence indicates there was an
oracle here, as at the much later Temple of Apollo at Delphi where
a priestess prophesied while in a trance or ecstatic state. Ggantija also
seems to have been a place to pray for healing. In ancient
times, the temples at Ggantija drew pilgrims from across the island and even
from North Africa and Sicily.

Photos of Ggantija Temples

From here we will proceed to Dwejra to see the Azure
Window, Fungus Rock, and the Inland Sea. The Azure Window at the
end of the cliff is a giant doorway,
through which one can admire the blue expanse beyond the cliff. It is
probably one of the most photographed vistas of the Islands, and is
particularly spectacular during the winter, when waves crash high inside the
arch. The sea here is very deep and of a dark blue hue, thus giving it the
name the Azure Window. The rocks in this area are encrusted with fossilized
crustaceans, evidence that most of the island was once covered by water. In
front of the Azure Window are the Blue Hole and The Chimney, two of the most
popular dive sites in Gozo.

Afterwards we’ll have our group lunch at
a lovely restaurant in the city of Victoria. Another time for sharing our
morning’s experiences.

Then we visit the
medieval part of the city of Victoria – The Citadel, an
historic fortified city or castle. The area is known to have been first
fortified during the Bronze Age c. 1500 BCE, was later developed by the
Phoenicians and development continued until, by Roman times, it had become a
complex acropolis. Up until the 18th Century it was the only fortified
refuge against attack for the inhabitants of the island. Within the walls of
the Citadel lies a fine 17th century baroque Cathedral of the Assumption,
which we’ll visit, designed by Lorenzo Gafà, the Maltese architect who also
built the Cathedral of Mdina. Some researchers say that it lies on the site
where a Roman temple dedicated to Juno once stood. It is most famous for the
remarkable trompe l'oeil painting on its ceiling, which depicts the interior
of a dome that was never built.

In the later afternoon we board the
ferryboat to return to Malta and our hotel, arriving in the later afternoon.

7:30PM – We’ll gather at the hotel for our
Farewell Dinner. On our last evening, we share our fond memories of
our time in this ancient megalithic land.
Overnight Valetta. The Osborne Hotel.

Day 7. Saturday March 25.
Depart Malta (B) Breakfast at your leisure. Tour ends after
breakfast. Check
out of the hotel and transfer to the airport in a private taxi booked for
you by Sacred Sites Journeys.

This itinerary is subject to change due to
conditions beyond our control.

SPECIAL HIGHLIGHTS:
- Travel in a smaller group with Dr. Robert Schoch, Catherine Ulissey, and
other like-minded people- Escorted by SSJ’s Director Andrea
Mikana-Pinkham- Excellent English-speaking Tour Guide- Equinox
sunrise entrance at Mjnadra and Hagar Qim- Private entrance for our
group at the Tarxien Temples

NOT INCLUDED:
- Round-trip International Air to Malta (MLA)- Cost to obtain valid
passport- Drinks at meals- Any items of a personal nature such as
laundry, drinks, Internet service, telephone calls. Any item that is not
specifically detailed in the itinerary.

TOUR PRICING

This Sacred Sites Journey to
MALTA is LAND ONLY. You are responsible to book your international flights as per
instructions in the tour itinerary above.

Single
Room Supplement: $399.00 - via check, money order or bank wire
$420.00 - via credit cardAs of August 4, 2016, there are only a few
single rooms left.

ROOMMATES: Would you like to meet and make
a new friend on your journey? If you're not traveling on the journey with
anyone you know, and would like for SSJ to try to match you up with a
suitable roommate, we'll be happy to try to do so. Per our Terms and Conditions, we will hold the registration for
the trip open until 45 days before the departure date (or later if possible)
in order to try to match you with someone. If by that date we have not been
able to do so, and there is no one to share your room, you will be
responsible to pay for the single supplement. If you would like to be
matched with a roommate, please register early.

NOTE: As
of November 26, 2016, we have filled all of the rooms reserved for our group
at The Osborne Hotel. However, we have secured 8 additional rooms at the
nearby
Castille Hotel. Three of those rooms are for single occupancy. The other
five are for 2 people to share. Group members who stay at the Castille will
have their breakfast there, but will have lunch and dinner with the group,
as indicated in the above itinerary.

TOUR REGISTRATIONRegistration
is closed. Our group is full!This unique
one-time offering begins on March 19, 2017.To access a REGISTRATION FORM and our Terms and Conditions:Click Here

NOTE: All photos and text on this webpage are the Copyright of Sacred Sites Journeys/
Heartlight Fellowship.Sacred Sites Journeys is NOT affiliated
with any other sacred travel company.Other sacred travel companies offering
spiritual pilgrimages similar to ours
are using our text and photos. We did not give them permission to do so.
We believe that karma is very efficient, and that those who are not in integrity
will swiftly reap the negative benefits of such actions.